Clock and method of making same



Nov. 26, 1935. R. H. WHITEHEAD CLOCK AND METHOD OF MAKING sauna Filed Nov. 50, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l R. H; WHlTEHEA-D CLOCK AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Nov. 26, 1935.

Filed Nov. 30, 1934 2, Sheets-Sheet '2 -INVEN TOR- WM A mamvzys- Patented Nov 26, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 2,022,253 cuocx AND mrrnon or MAKING same Richard H. Whitehead, New Haven, Conn, as-

lignor to The New Haven Clock Company, New Haven, Com, a corporation Application November 30, 1934, Serial No. 755,290 4 7 Claim.

This invention relates to clocksand methods of making the same.

One object of this invention is to Provide a more eiiicient way of making clock parts in order 5 to decrease the cost of production of them.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention includes all improvements over the prior art which are disclosed in this application.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one l way, of carrying out the invention is shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a face view 01 a blank 01' sheet metal, having applied thereto surface-color material for clock parts;

16 Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1,.but with apiercing operation having been performed to punch out holes in the blank of sheet-metal;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the various clock parts punched entirely free 20 from the original metal sheet, and laid in the In the following description and claims, the 2 various steps and parts are identified by specific 35 names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the prior art will permit.

- Referring to the drawings, I0 is a sheet-metal blank which may first be given an all-over coat 40 II of any suitable desired color of flexible-color material, such as varnish or lacquer materials, which will sufliciently withstand the effect of metal-distorting forming operations to which certain of the parts will be subjected in manu- 45 facture. After the color material II is applied and dried, the blank III then has applied thereto, for example by lithographing, color material of one or more plainly different colors from the main color II. 50 The lithograph color or colors, in the form, of

the invention illustrated in the drawings, is'

applied tbform ornamentation and outline of the base I2, ornamentation and outline of the base-filler I3, ornamentation and outline of the 55 case-band I4, ornamentation and indicia of the case-back I 6, ornamentation and outline of the bezel I8, indicia of the dial II, a color area I8 irom which the clock-hands are to be made, circles I9 and 20 which when punched irom the sheet it are to serve as pilot or locating-holes, a border outline II which is to serve as a guide for, trimming the sheet-blank III, and register or location-marks 22 and 23 which are to serve for the-ihitial locating oi the sheet in position for the piercing or first punching operation, I

The lithographed sheet-metal'blank I0 illustrated in Fig. 1 is first subjected to; an edgetrimming operation, which removes the portion outside oi the border 2 I, whereupon the trimmed sheet is placed in position in a suitable gangpress with the register-marks 22 and 23 suitably registering with corresponding markson or adjacent one 01' the dies of the gang-press, whereupon the first piercing or punching operation takes place to punch out the holes illustrated in Fig. 2. Then the blank in the condition shown in Fig. 2, is subjected to the action of a press having gang-blank-out dies which punch out, at one operation, the various clock-part blanks previously described, and also punch out the three 25 hand-blanks 24, 25 and 28.

The base-blank I2 is then subjected to a metaldistorting forming operation to form the blank up to the form shown in Fig. 4, and a piercing operation to provide the integral struck-up tongues 21. I

The case-back blank I 5 is also subjected to suitable metal-distorting forming operations and is joined to the case-band blank I4, after the latter is rolledup to the usual form, in a usual and well-known manner:

The bezel-blank I6 is also subjected to a metal-. distorting forming operation of usual type.

when the opposite ends 20 and 29 of the caseband are brought adjacent each other, when rolled up to form, the punched-out slots 30 adjacent one end and the punched-out slots 3| adjacent the other end, will come in position, so that the struck-up tongues 21 of the base will extend upwardly through the slots 30 and SI and permit the tongues 21 to be flattened down against the case-band to maintain the base I2 firmly assembled with the case-band I4.

By making clocks as herein disclosed, it will be observed that complicated ornamentation and indicia for various clock parts can all'be formed by either one or more lithographing steps, depending on whether one or more lithograph colors are desired, after which the clock parts can be punched out, and such as necessary, subjected to a forming operation, to economically produce a highly-ornamented clock at exceedingly-low cost.

It will be observed, tor example, that in order to produce the base alone in the form shown in Fig. 4, by producing the color ornamentation thereon after the metal-distorting forming operation has been performed, would be a costly proceeding. Not only is this costly proceeding avoided, but at the same time the base ornamentation is applied, ornamentation is also applied for other parts of a clock.

It will also be observed that inasmuch as the clock parts on a given sheet blank are dissimilar and of a number suitable for a single clock, no counting operations are at all necessary in the production of the various parts, inasmuch as this method of manufacture automatically produces the proper quantity of the various parts that are needed for manuiacturing any desired quantity of clocks.

By having the color material that is applied to the sheet blank of suitable flexibility, the various metal-distorting forming operations can be performed" without substantially impairing the finished appearance of the various parts.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than that herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes metal blanks to one or more metal and suriace-.

color distorting forming operations.

2. The method of making clock parts including: applying flexible surface-color ornamentation and indicia material 01' varnish, lacquer, or the like on a surface of a sheet of sheet-metal; cutting one or more clock-part blanks from said sheet; and subjecting at least a substantial part of said surface-color ornamented part of one or 5 more oi said clock-part sheet-metal blanks to one or more metal and surface-color distorting forming operations.

3. The method of making clock parts including: applying flexible surface-color material of lo varnish, lacquer, or the like on asurface oi a sheet of sheet-metal at places for dissimilar clock-part blanks; then piercing portions for at least certain of said blanks; then cutting said blanks from said sheet; and then subjecting at 15 least a substantial part of said surface-color applied part, of at least certain oi. said clock-part sheet-metal blanks, to one or more metal and surface-color distorting forming operations.

4. The method of making clock parts includ- 20 ing: applying flexible surface-color material of varnish, lacquer, or the like on a surface of a sheet oi sheet-metal at places for dissimilar clock-part blanks corresponding to those required for a single clock; then piercing portions for at :5 least certain of said blanks; then cutting said blanks from said sheet; and then subjecting at least a substantial part of said suriace-color applied part, of at least certain 0! said clock-- part sheet-metal blanks, to one or more metal and surface-color distorting forming operations.

5. A clock-case including: one or more parts formed from blanks of flat sheet-metal having flexible surface-color oi varnish, lacquer, or the like thereon, by one or more metal and surfacecolor distorting forming operations on at least a substantial part of the surface-color material containing portions of sheet-metal.

6. A clock-parts blank including: a sheet oi sheet metal having indicia thereon at places to 0 become parts of dissimilar clock-part blanks.

7. A clock-parts blank including: a sheet oi sheet-metal having flexible-color material 0! varnish, lacquer, or the like thereon at places to become parts or dissimilar clock-part blanks 5 RICHARD H. WHITEHEAD. 

